Africa / Tanzania
Places to go. A little room to wander.
THE SHORTLIST
Zanzibar
A complex of public baths built at the end of the 19th century by Shirazi architects for Sultan Barghash bin Said. These baths are not open anymore but are open to visitors. Visits are limited to some areas of the original complex because part of it (e.g., the restaurant) has since been adapted for private residences
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
Mizingani Road on the seafront
Probably the most well-known landmarks of Stone Town. It was built in 1883 and restored after the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896. A former Sultan's residence, it became the seat of the Afro-Shirazi Party after the revolution. It was the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity and the first building in East Africa to have a lift. Since 2000, its interior has been dedicated to a museum on Swahili and Zanzibar culture.
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
Zanzibar
Another former sultan's palace, also on the seafront, to the north of the House of Wonders. It was built in late 19th century, and now hosts a museum about the daily life of the Zanzibari royal family, including items that belonged to Sayyida Salme, a former Zanzibar princess that fled to relocate in Europe with her husband
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
Zanzibar
Built from 1887 to 1894 to serve as a charity hospital for the poor, it was later used as a dispensary. It is one of the most finely decorated buildings of Stone Town, with large carved wooden balconies, stained-glass windows, and neo-classical stucco adornments. After falling into decay in the 1970s and 1980s, the building was accurately restored by the AKTC.
Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate
Zanzibar
This island used to be a quarantine zone and later a prison. You can visit the prison and observe turtles from the Seychelles that were given as a gift hundred years ago. The oldest one (and the only one originally from the Seychelles) is about 200 years old. The island is private, so you cannot walk any more on the island and relax on the beach, making it less far interesting and to expensive for what it is.
Allow about 60 minutes · planning estimate
A note before you go. Start with Hamamni Persian Baths, then decide whether House of Wonders deserves a separate visit rather than rushing both. The suggested days are an editable grouping, not a timed tour. Visit allowances exclude transfers, meals and queues; confirm the exact entrance and current visiting arrangements for Changuu Island before setting off.
Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. Suggested days and time allowances are editorial starting points. Check the linked visitor information for opening hours, access, and reservations.
BEFORE YOU SET OFF
Hamamni Persian Baths and House of Wonders are about 0.2 km apart in a straight line. Use the route link to compare the actual streets or transport connections before putting both in the same morning; the measurement is not a walking distance or a transfer estimate.
A LITTLE STRUCTURE. ROOM FOR DISCOVERY.
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This city guide includes selected, abridged material by Wikivoyage contributors, adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. The adapted guide text is available under the same license; photographs and website design retain their separate terms. Selected and abridged reference descriptions; operational prices and timetables omitted. Elsewhere added the shortlist, geographic grouping and planning notes.
Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. It is community-edited background, not firsthand reporting or a live opening-hours service.
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